Cadillac Unveils Wild Ciel Concept

Cadillac has been making cars people under AARP admission age actually want for a few years now.  Being a legitimate BMW competitor is a big step for a company that once peddled wares to those tired of their Buicks.  The resurgence at GM is alive and well - 10 years ago, who would have thought that Cadillac of all brands would be selling a 556-horsepower, 6 speed manual sports wagon that can rip off 4.0 second 0-60 times?

What they don't really have is a "halo" model.  An exorbitantly expensive top-of-the-line vehicle that's more concerned with "look what we can do!" than profit margins.  And while the Ciel concept (from the French word for "Sky"), which debuted today at Pebble Beach, might not be that halo vehicle, perhaps it should be.

For one thing, this is a visually striking vehicle.  While the angularity of the current CTS still hasn't quite faded into the sea of other automobiles on the road, that car plays it a lot safer stylistically than the Ciel.  Also, I'm not aware of another 4-door convertible (with reverse-hinged rear doors) on the market, a niche that's been empty for quite some time now.

The Ciel is a big girl, for sure.  At 125", the Ciel's wheelbase is longer than that of a Chevy Tahoe by 9".  It's also about an inch and a half longer overall than a Tahoe, to put things into perspective.  The styling was done by GM's North Hollywood design studio, and it incorporates a lot of current Cadillac styling cues with some more aggressive details - such as the headlights that meld into a chrome surround for the front valence, the cutline that sweeps from the A-pillar forward to the front wheel well and bisects the fender vents, the drastically cropped windshield, etc.  Aggressive and elegant, I think.

While you'd expect a concept this large to be powered by, I don't know, a V12 or a W16 or something absurd, it's a sign of GM's current forward-thinking mentality what's under the hood.  The Ciel uses a twin-turbocharged variant of the corporate 3.6L direct-injected 24v V6, mated to a hybrid setup powered by a Lithium-Ion battery.  Total power output between the two motors adds up to 425bhp and 430lb-ft of torque, which is almost equal to that of GM's 6.2L LS3 small block V8 from the Corvette - surely not a coincidence.

More impressive than the high-tech powertrain, though, is the interior.  The mix of Italian olive wood, machined aluminum trim and hand-stitched leather is warm, inviting, and traditional in some places - but thoroughly modern in others.

The coolest part is undoubtedly the suicide rear doors and 4-passenger separated layout, with a full-length center console splitting the cabin down the middle.  Will Cadillac produce the Ciel or something like it?  Well, it seems like they wouldn't go to the trouble of developing something this complex without an eye to production, but you never know.  I've got my fingers crossed.